Butterfly House Air Plant Centrepiece
My aim with this decoration was to distill the essence of a butterfly house into a freestanding miniature decoration which included live plants.
It could be used as part of a table setting, or anywhere you need a touch of interest. Simply avoid placing any design including air plants in strong sunlight or near heat sources.
I selected a medium sized piece of wood as the base. It would sit solidly on a flat surface and had a great deal of character but on a fairly modest small scale. Interestingly, it was one that I had been slightly doubtful about adding to the website as it was very oddly shaped. However, as soon as I saw it again I knew it was ideal for this project.
A vast range of options would have worked for a base (see below for another piece I considered). In some cases I might have wanted to add additional elements, for example, moss, lichen or pieces of bark to build up the depth of texture. However the wood I selected already had everything. All I needed to add were the decorative elements, plus a little extra moss at the base of the air plants..
Having decided on the base it was time to consider the other key elements: the air plants, the butterflies and the fruit slices which the butterflies feed upon.
On a practical note, I sprayed the butterflies with a clear sealant to help protect them from the water needed to mist the air plants. This worked best on finished butterflies, although I had to ensure the three layers of wing did not stick together.
In this instance I first chose two tall air plants, both with a wavy feel to give a sense of movement and elegance. The third plant I selected was a sturdy upright air plant with a silver grey tint. I placed this low down to balance out the taller elements. Finally, I added a much smaller air plant down on the opposite side to help ensure the piece looked nice from all directions i.e. it has no ‘front’ or ‘back’. The final air plant also has a delicate grey tone but this again had gentle curves to its leaves, these elements complimenting the brighter green of the moss and the tall air plants.
The butterflies were created using a repeating theme. I selected a limited number of designs of paper from which to make the butterflies. Every design can be seen at least twice, in varying sizes. This aims to give the feeling of several different species. Most of the butterflies are intentionally quite pale, although all with delicate detail in the patterns. Importantly there are just two butterflies (one large, one small) in a vibrant red. These are included to catch the eye. If all the butterflies were bright the piece would be excessively colourful and without them, too muted. The same approach was taken with the fruit, all but one piece are in paler colours. I chose just one piece of orange and that is half covered by a slice of lime. Overall, I was aiming for an intense texture, with a lot of detail to enjoy exploring but with almost all elements subtle and natural in colour and tone. This allows the butterflies to be the stars of the show.